Networking improves employment chances, entrepreneur tells students

Oct. 15, 2010—College students who make the most of networking opportunities improve their chances of securing jobs, a real estate entrepreneur told a class of North Central College students.

Bryan Barus, a commercial real estate professional and founder of Suburban Real Estate in Lisle, Ill., drew from personal experiences to share practical advice to students about succeeding as business professionals. Barus is a 1990 graduate of North Central College, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

“Call upon your connections, make them worthwhile,” Barus said, “Network and utilize your sphere of influence to open all doors possible.”Barus on Oct. 11 spoke to students in a sales and sales management class taught by Gary Ernst, Coleman Foundation Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, professor of international business and marketing and chair of management and marketing at North Central.

Ernst had been one of Barus’ professors at North Central College, and he saw benefit in having the alumnus speak to North Central students.

Barus remains active in the North Central community, often offering internships to business students of the college. Over the years, Barus has hired 25 to 30 North Central College students to intern with Suburban Real Estate, where they learned firsthand about operations involved in commercial real estate transactions.

North Central College offers degrees in economics, entrepreneurship and small business management, human resource management, international business, management and other areas of study that offer opportunities to learn business concepts and understand how viewing problems from multiple perspectives can lead to creative solutions. Corporate executives regularly visit campus as guest speakers to share their experiences, offer advice to students and answer their questions about the workplace.